Dark Secrets

by Jack Steele

  ‘I’m not sleeping tonight until I bloody well find her!’ Stella stormed out and Carl let out a deep sigh before we followed behind her.

  If only we had known that underneath the main bedroom floorboards hidden in a makeshift coffin, someone was tightly bound and gagged, hanging on to life itself.

  Chapter 19

  We could hear Stella swearing every time she tripped over on the way back to the gate. She was displaying all the frustration, anger and concern that I was feeling inside.

  Once we reached the cars I called out to her.

  ‘Look we need to keep in touch with each other so at least we don’t go over the same ground.’

  Stella unlocked her car and spun around ready to vent her feelings but must have seen in our faces that we were hurting as much as she was. She let out a cry of anguish which confirmed how much she was struggling.

  In all of our investigations we invested so much of our time and energy in pursuit of the evidence to secure a conviction. The difference this time was the difficulty in remaining detached from those involved. Personal emotions can get in the way and cloud judgement and add pressure in a time sensitive situation like the one we were dealing with now. I had been guilty of that before when I was on a crusade to find my girlfriend. I crossed lines and upset a lot of people in my blinkered determination to find her and who was responsible for her abduction.

  ‘We don’t know how long Miranda has left before Geb Blood decides her time has run out.’ Stella shouted as we approached her. Carl pulled her towards him and I rubbed her back as her body suddenly heaved with her sobs. Carl promised that we would find her and take Blood down in the process. I added something else to make her feel better.

  ‘Someone once asked me how far would I go to save a loved one? I answered as much as it takes. I regard all of you in that so we won’t stop until we find her!’

  It gave Stella something to cling onto as she wriggled free and pushed herself off Carl.

  ‘You smell!’ she joked and punched him in the stomach.

  I handed her a clean tissue which she used to wipe her eyes and then thanked me before taking in a large deep breath.

  ‘I’m going to check on the forensics team that are at Miranda’s home. I can’t sleep knowing my friend is somewhere out there afraid.’

  ‘We have more visits tonight but I will call you later. Keep your earpiece on!’ I insisted.

  We got into our cars and travelled back down to the main road where the smooth surface was a welcome relief from the unmade bumpy road. We waited for a break in the traffic then headed for our next location. We didn’t notice that behind us a white van slowly emerged from the trees and begun to follow us.

  Chapter 20

  Carl stifled a yawn and with such an important day ahead of us I decided that hospital visits would be our last calls before we finished for the night.

  I felt it was important to keep our boss updated with our progress on this investigation and he could give me some tips on how to get the best results. Usually when I needed his advice on a few matters it was a simple case of knocking on his office door. When terrorists had tried to kill him a few days ago I was the one who tracked him down and saved him just when all hope had disappeared that he would be found in time.

  I phoned the hospital and the staff nurse told me he was sleeping but we could visit him for a short while before visiting hours finished at 8pm. That left just enough time to first pay his wife a visit. She was also targeted by the terrorists resulting in major physical injuries.

  Samantha Stern was in the Hommerton University Hospital. The same hospital that Carl’s mother had passed away in just over three weeks ago. He admitted to feeling a little unsteady walking through the entrance which brought back old memories of her being rushed in, never to come out. I insisted that he could wait in the café if he preferred and he seemed relieved to do just that.

  Trying to negotiate an endless stream of corridors following signs to a ward always baffled me. Eventually I had to ask a porter who was more than happy to guide me. Apparently the ward I wanted was on the next floor via a flight of stairs. He was kind enough to say I wasn’t the only one he had assisted today. I thanked him for his help and pressed the intercom. Once inside I explained who I was and pressed the hand gel dispenser attached to the wall. Unfortunately Samantha was asleep when I arrived.

  I decided to find a plastic chair and wait a while in case she came round and it gave me the opportunity to browse the few cards on her bedside cabinet. One was from all of us at SIU which looked like Sheila’s handwriting. I know that Sheila was hit the hardest when she heard of Samantha’s mistreatment at the hands of terrorists.

  Samantha began to cough and I thought maybe this was the opportunity to wake her.

  ‘Samantha it’s me Joe. Can you hear me?’

  There was the faintest of mumbles but it was obvious that she wasn’t speaking tonight so reluctantly I decided to leave and join Carl instead.

  ‘It’s been a day of chasing shadows.’ Carl muttered as despite all our best efforts we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere fast. The fact that we were no nearer to discovering Miranda’s whereabouts was troubling enough but to know that she was at the mercy of such a depraved individual made this a race against time.

  Chapter 21

  Miranda was stirred from a nightmare. As she tried to make sense of why she was here something moved in the corner of her eye. It was a piece of sackcloth covering something or someone.

  Then she heard the wretched groan of a man underneath the sackcloth. A series of questions flooded her brain like a tsunami. Who was it? How long had he been there? Had he always been there? The fact that she was no longer alone gave her a glimmer of hope that she wouldn’t be the sole receiver of Geb’s anger.

  Miranda struggled with what to do next. Should she try to make contact with someone who was clearly in agonising pain? That limb on the floor must belong to him. It was too dark to see if there was any blood around the cloth. She knew all there was to know about dead bodies with her line of work so her prayers were now aimed at keeping him alive. She didn’t want to be alone in that room anymore. She wanted to make contact with him so after several agonising minutes she forced out a whisper.

  ‘Hey are you awake? Please help me!’

  There was no reply. Her heartbeat rose sharply at the thought of the sound travelling through the door to the ears of the psychopath next door.

  ‘Please be quiet!’ she begged as the groans seemed to echo around the room. Suddenly a shriek from next door was followed by a loud bang. There was a raised voice and a lot of crashing of metal and other materials. Then the lights began to flicker once again as though from candle flames moving in the draft of someone rushing past them.

  Miranda chanted to herself ‘please no please no.’ in an effort to delay indefinitely the appearance of a madman. If only the person would shut up with his increasing wails of pain.

  Then suddenly the door flew open and she shut her eyes tightly and buried her head between her legs. It was an act of survival but she feared the worst when she heard the injured man screaming as he was subjected to a savage beating. Miranda wanted to put her fingers in her ears to stop the incessant horror just a few feet away from her but her tethered hands made that impossible. It was probably only seconds but they seemed like long drawn out minutes.

  Eventually the moaning ceased only to be replaced with a heart-stopping silence. Her eyes were closed tightly shut but she could hear the heavy breathing of the cold-blooded killer. The panting became louder as if the psychopath had turned to face her. The evil presence then suddenly grabbed her hair and pulled it upwards. The pain was excruciating and the only way to stop it was to lift her head. She couldn’t look at him for fear of it being his final act. The handcuffs pulled at her wrists as she was stretched to her limits causing her to scream out in pain.

  The sound seemed to pacify the sadist in front of her who let go of her hair causing her to coll
apse to the cold concrete floor. She heard the door slam and all light was sucked out with his exit. The ordeal might have been over for now but it had been too much for Miranda. When are my friends coming to save me from this nightmare? she pleaded before passing out.

  Chapter 22

  As Carl pulled into the Royal Brompton Hospital car park the barrier was up, which meant we wouldn’t have to pay. It was a small victory judging by his fist pump but it meant there was no reason to rush back to the car and in turn would make for a more relaxed visit.

  We used to park in any space near the entrance by displaying a ‘Strategic Investigation Unit’ sign on the dashboard but it had hampered an ambulance once. It prompted Carl to use the public car park first if there were spaces available.

  As we made our way to the main entrance there was a small gathering of reporters and I recognised one in particular who made a bee line directly for us.

  The news reporter Shell Baker was talking to camera during a live stream for the BBC and spun around when one of her team pointed towards me. She was wearing her trusted long quilted coat with a red poppy broach attached. It reminded me that we needed to buy a poppy to show our support for those who fought in the war for our freedom.

  Shell stepped out in front of me. I could go around her but at this moment in time tact was a priority so I prepared myself for a brief interview.

  ‘Joe Stone. You are one of the detectives with the Strategic Investigation Unit. Can you tell us how is Commander Stern?’

  My training had given me enough knowledge to use the media to our advantage. So long as the SIU remained in a positive light then we could expect assistance from other crime fighting organisations.

  ‘We are on our way up to visit him now but news is that he is recovering well and hopefully he can return to work as soon as possible.’

  Shell kept firing questions about the previous investigation trying to get as many answers in the short amount of time she had been allotted on the news channel. I could tell when the studio was talking in her ear because it distracted her slightly causing her to talk more in her West Midlands accent.

  ‘Will you be prosecuting the pharmaceutical company for developing the toxin which thankfully you intercepted before a catastrophic event could occur?’

  ‘That’s in the hands of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division and a number of other parties.’

  Shell nodded as I was talking causing her to keep pushing back her fringe from her eye line.

  ‘We have heard that there is to be a press conference at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning outside the Strategic Investigation Unit’s building. Can you tell us what that is about?’

  Unfortunately for her I wasn’t at liberty to divulge that information just yet. I had to be courteous and tactful with my reply.

  ‘Yes we are having a press conference and I look forward to seeing you there. Now we really must visit our Commander. Thank you.’

  I left with Shell winding up her piece to camera probably thrilled at achieving an exclusive interview although not much information was disclosed. I could only imagine the barrage of questions we would be subjected to once the reporters were informed about our current case.

  Chapter 23

  The entrance doors swept open and immediately we were hit by a rush of warm air.

  ‘That’s better.’ Carl exclaimed. The cold weather must have chilled him slightly as he waited for me to finish the interview. I apologised to him and he brushed it off by saying I could buy him an espresso. He had noticed that visitors were either carrying magazines or papers for someone to read.

  ‘Should we stop by a shop and buy him something?’ It was a good idea but he could have piles of papers already by his bedside.

  ‘Best see if he wants anything first.’

  The nurse I had spoken on the phone to earlier had said that he could receive a visit from us but stipulated only two at a time and to keep the visit as short as possible. We really needed him back at headquarters but obviously that wasn’t going to happen overnight even though I was desperate for him to return.

  We waited alongside a lot of visitors for the lift. I saw quite a few glances towards my colleague who towered over many and they must have thought he would take up the places of four in the lift. Many carried cards and drinks with some holding paperback books either for themselves or a loved one. It was seeing one particular book cover that I whispered my thoughts to Carl.

  ‘Why is it that you don’t read more about hospital visits in crime fiction? I mean we seem to be spending more and more time in them.’

  He stood and thought about it for a moment and then leaned into me with his reply.

  ‘Like you said Joe, they are fiction. This is real life!’

  Two lifts arrived at the same time and once those inside had vacated the metal box it was our turn to all cram inside. Carl held the doors from closing and then squeezed in beside me. A few more people tried to get into ours but thankfully decided to either try the stairs or wait for another instead.

  Our destination was the Adult Intensive Care Unit on the Sydney Wing Level 3. We found it was well signed and made it in no time. However when we arrived we were told that Stern had just been moved to the High Dependency Unit. The staff nurse gave us directions and I hoped Carl took it in because I forgot most of the directions. It should have been easy as it was in the same block.

  I could see the headlines in tomorrow’s papers, how will the SIU detectives hunt down the fugitives when they can’t even find their way around a hospital? Thankfully we did reach our destination under our own steam and without assistance.

  We were escorted to Commander Stern who had been moved to a side room and I was pleased to see him sitting up in his hospital bed talking to a nurse. When we entered the room he looked happy to see us.

  ‘Come in and take me away from all of this boredom!’ he half-joked with a sly wink aimed at the young nurse. She reminded us that we had thirty minutes until 8 o’clock when visiting time was over. She also emphasised that we were not to exhaust him with too much talking.

  ‘Did you want me to get you anything sir?’ Carl asked picking up on our conversation a few minutes ago.

  ‘Would you mind getting me a paper and some tonic water please Carl. I haven’t read anything yet so I need to see what I have missed since being out of it.’

  The nurse and Carl both shot me a look and I knew that most of the tabloids were still dealing with the fallout from our last investigation and the tragic loss suffered by Stern. He was yet to learn of any of it and we left the room to discuss his condition.

  The nurse advised me not to cause him any undue distress by revealing events just in case he suffered a reaction. As I returned to his room I overheard the nurse informing Carl that the shop was now closed anyway but either a vending machine was available or the restaurant was still open on the basement level.

  I closed the door and decided to make small talk until Carl returned.

  ‘It’s great to see you looking so well sir.’

  He smiled and nodded. It was then that he asked me the question I had been dreading.

  ‘How are my family?’

  Chapter 24

  There it was, straight in with the one question I would have preferred not to answer so I had to massage the truth rather than tell him straight.

  ‘Your wife is like you sir, very resilient and hopefully making great progress.’ I explained where she was and our unsuccessful visit to see her earlier.

  He looked sad and shook his head when I told him it was the same thugs that had nearly killed him. Close up he had scratches and scars on his face and he had aged what looked like ten years in the space of a few days.

  Then when he asked me about his chauffeur and beloved dog I felt my stomach roll as I had now to be the one who was the bearer of such tragic news. I hesitated for a while which he immediately picked up on. He put his hand on mine and looked me straight in the eye. He knew
before I even said anything and he asked me, in a gentle voice to tell him the honest truth.

  The dilemma was clear. The nurse had advised me not to distress him under any circumstances but he was so intelligent that he could read me like a book. I was hiding something.

  ‘Please Joe just tell me.’

  It took him a few seconds to digest the news and when I explained who had killed them he shook his head in disbelief.

  ‘They say the past can come back to haunt you and in this case it did more than that.’

  ‘I’m so sorry sir.’ I meant it from the bottom of my heart. He had done so much for my progression in the profession as well as in my personal life and I had always looked up to him even as far as to put him on a pedestal. Yes I know I had doubts about his allegiances to various criminal organisations and his working practices but deep down I admired him not only as a leader but as a human being. We had both suffered tragedies in our private lives and as I reached for the box of tissues our professional relationship was on hold for just a few minutes.

  It was the first time I had seen him like this. Weak, vulnerable and upset but under the circumstances even his stiff upper lip mentality had to have a limit. It was hard to watch my boss breakdown as he remembered fondly his family. He told me of how he met Michael, his chauffeur serving in the same Army unit and how it was always Michael that drove him around in the warzone. The war ended but Stern made sure they remained in touch and when he learned that Michael was diagnosed as suffering from a form of Post Traumatic Shock Disorder. Stern stepped up and offered him the job of his chauffeur which Michael gladly accepted.

  Next he recalled stories of his beloved Labrador which he had had since a puppy and paused briefly as he tried to maintain his composure. Eventually he changed the subject.

  ‘I’m hoping they will let me out tomorrow as they are desperate for the beds but usually they move people here onto what I call a standard ward. The doctors swish in and make noises as they read your chart then swish out again. So if I make myself a nuisance they will want me to leave; besides I want to be at my wife’s bedside.’